


Amnesia

by CrystallizeFlower



Series: Lovebug [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Introspection, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:28:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23654611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystallizeFlower/pseuds/CrystallizeFlower
Summary: [A MIRACULOUS LADYBUG SHORT STORY]Based on the song "Amnesia" by EDEN.Takes place after the first book, When the First Love Ends, which happens after the events of Feast (and technically Ikari Gozen) - do not read if you do not want spoilers. This story will be a standalone read but it is recommended that you read WtFLE.In an unknown series of events, Adrien's father decides that they are moving to Tibet. Before he departs from France, he learns who his alternate self had been working alongside this whole time, leaving him to wish he had noticed the similarities earlier. A few years have gone by, and an 18-year-old Adrien Agreste is pining over his lost opportunities to be with the one he still loves, wishing he could forget her.I do not own Miraculous: The Adventures of Ladybug and Chat Noir or anything related to it. I only own this fan-made story, the cover art, and any future media of any type linked in the chapters unless mentioned otherwise.These chapters were originally posted on Wattpad.
Series: Lovebug [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1703131
Kudos: 3





	Amnesia

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! Thank you for reading Amnesia, the second book in the Lovebug series.
> 
> Please star and comment if you want more to be posted ASAP!
> 
> It's been a long journey. Things have been so hectic with COVID-19 and I hope everyone is okay! That being said...
> 
> The idea for Amnesia came from the first story, When the First Love Ends. The idea of neither Marinette or Adrien getting their happy ending has a lot of its own possibilities and I wanted to try writing from Adrien's POV instead, delving into his feelings post-move. I wanted to continue the style of basing the stories off songs but didn't know what song to base it off of, let alone even continue the series. I felt if I made a sequel it would take away from the bittersweet lesson that Marinette had to learn at the very end but I decided to continue after a lot of thinking. If this story affects the first, I will take it down, so please know that story is basically still just an idea rather than a canon thing in this universe until said otherwise.
> 
> Also, a lot of people have asked me if I will talk about Master Fu and Hawkmoth both being in Tibet (in this universe, he hasn't actually given Marinette the real title of Guardian but she doesn't know that, she's actually just holding on to the Miracle Box) and honestly, I don't know. As I told someone before, it takes away from what and who I'm focusing on, and although it makes for a cool side story or background, it all depends on what I plan on doing.
> 
> Anyways, if you read to the end, thanks! Here's an internet cookie. Stay tuned for the next chapter.
> 
> – Crystal

»»— ❅ —««

┏━━━━━━━ ⋆⋅ ❅ ⋅⋆ ━━━━━━━┓

_and just one moment_  
_is all i ask for_  
_just one star between us_  
_and just one second now_  
_some perfect clarity_

┗━━━━━━━ ⋆⋅ ❅ ⋅⋆ ━━━━━━━┛

»»— ❅ —««

The now-18-year-old male walked alongside the small waterfall that poured into the koi pond, watching the water foam as it crashed into itself. He knelt down, running his hand through the pool and watched as the ripples spread across the surface, breaking when they hit protrusions in the water.

Adrien Agreste was now a young adult. He was supposed to feel more mature, more independent now, but, instead, he felt as if nothing had changed. Well, to be more specific, he felt he hadn't changed but the world was now starting to openly show its true colors as soon as he became of age. His father had dumped a large responsibility on him, saying he would inherit the family wealth soon and that he had to keep his image clean which wouldn't be easy compared to his school days in France.

France. How he missed it. The atmosphere, the places, the people, the friends...

His friends. The thought made him draw out a large sigh. He missed everyone so much. Nino, Alya, and even Chloé. They were able to call once in a while, Chloé a lot more than once in a while, but it wasn't the same. He missed being by their sides, able to hug them when he could, able to talk to them when he could... but most people of all, he missed her.

Ladybug. Or Marinette. It didn't matter to him - they were the same person. As soon as he had gone on the train, he felt his heart twist in such a painful way that he had to sit down once it began moving. He wasn't going to see her again. As he left France, he felt his head turn and turn in disappointment and frustration.

It was so obvious. Those sky blue eyes that pierced into him, that raven hair that swished behind her, the creative mind that saved Paris and the classroom... how had he not noticed before? No wonder he would find himself staring at Marinette's eyes. She was Ladybug, and Ladybug was her. No wonder she thought she wasn't enough, both as Ladybug and as Marinette. She had the whole world on her shoulders and still was humble enough to imagine herself an imposter, someone who she wasn't.

He recalled Ladybug saying she was in love with someone else. Marinette was always so hesitant to approach him as Adrien, yet was able to talk to the others with the smooth flow of honey. Alya had confirmed to him over a call that, yes, he was the one she had loved all that time. His blind loyalty for Marinette's superhero side caused him to glance over the civilian her who idolized his civilian form. How ironic – he practically felt the absurdity ooze from his heart.

It was painful, being separated from everyone and separated from Marinette. Sometimes, when he woke up, he would believe he was still in France, Plagg stinking up the room with camembert, trying to get a few more minutes of sleep before his alarm rang for school. But, of course, there was no Plagg and there was no France, and he would wake up in a room that mocked him with its temporary unfamiliarity, laughing at his confusion and pain. Being the passive person he was, in public he never showed it, but inside he hated it. He wished his fleeting dreams of France would stay tangible, stay palpable, within his reach and within his sight.

He hated Tibet. And what a strong word "hate" was, because he didn't actually hate Tibet. He just hated that this was his cell, his prison that separated him from what he considered the "outside world" or Home: his friends.

Tibet was a beautiful place. The hills that roamed over the horizon, the ancient ruins that towered over him with their historic influence... it didn't deserve his pain. He wanted to separate the place from his misery but he couldn't help it. As long as he was here, he would continue to associate Tibet with his eventual breaking down.

Today, his father was taking him to a popular restaurant to celebrate his birthday. It would be the first time in a few years that his father would be in public ever since the Style Queen incident. His father was doing it for him and despite it all, he appreciated his father doing so. Gabriel Agreste was still just as busy, if not more, here in Tibet. Here and there, they would eat meals together or drive to meetings, but otherwise, Adrien's life was just as isolated as in France. He was making sure to do as much with his father as he could today before the day ended.

His phone rang and he held it out to see who it was. Alya's face appeared on his screen, two phone icons underneath her picture. She was calling him! With excitement, he picked up and brought his phone up to his ear.

" _Hey! Happy birthday, Adrien! How does it feel to be 18?_ "

"Thanks, Alya. Honestly, I don't feel any different. It's cool to be an adult, though."

" _Yeah! Now you can come visit us without permission if you really want to. Although, you probably have to be independent and get your own place first so your dad can't say anything, right?_ "

"Yup. But that's okay. I plan on doing so!"

" _Awesome!_ " She laughed and he could hear the phone being fumbled around with. " _I'm passing the phone to Nino, now._ "

" _...Adrien! How ya doin, bro?_ "

"Nino!" Adrien smiled at hearing the voice of his best friend. "I'm doing okay, how about you?"

" _I'm great, dude! Happy birthday, man. Can you believe it's been a few years that we've known each other now?_ "

"No! It still feels like a dream that I was able to go to school and meet you guys."

" _Man! Time flies. Anyways, I bought something for you! It hasn't been delivered to your door yet, from what I saw on the website, but it's in Tibet. I hope you like it! There's also something from Alya and Marinette in there, too._ "

"Really? Thank you, Nino! You're the best. Also, Marinette? Is she there?"

" _No. We're gonna meet up with her later to help with her Jagged Stone posters. If she's not too busy, we'll call you back._ "

"Ah. Okay. Well, thank you for the gifts, Nino! Tell the others I said so as well."

" _Of course, dude. Talk to you again soon, aight?_ "

"For sure. Talk to you later, man."

He ended the call and sat down by the pond. Once again, he wasn't able to talk to Marinette. All these years he had been in Tibet now and not once had he been able to talk to her. First, her number changed, then she stayed in a different city to work more on her fashion projects, and then she was just swamped with work. He was happy to see her dream coming true, but he wished for once he could hear her voice, even for a moment.

Texting and messaging just wasn't the same. Besides, he never really messaged Marinette, even in France. There was just no need to. He mainly called or asked for her through his friends since she took a long time to answer... most likely due to her crush on him.

His heart turned over itself. Why? After all these years, why did he still love her? Most would have moved on by now, if not still with small twinges from remembering the past. Yet, he still loved her with all his existence - his soul, his mind, his body, his heart. He still loved her and he couldn't be by her side for a single second because of the distance between them.

He just wanted to forget. He loved her so much it pained him to even think of her and could think of no other way to relieve his head. He wished and wished to forget everything, to become a meaningless speck of dust that floated through the air, knowing nothing and noticed by no one.

"Adrien!" a voice called out to him. He looked up, seeing Nathalie standing on the porch balcony with her tablet in hand. "It's almost time for lunch with your father. We will be leaving in half an hour. Get yourself ready."

"Coming," he replied. Ugh. He just needed it out of his head for a few hours. He wanted to focus on enjoying his time with his father.

The koi splashed the surface using its fins, appearing for a split second before swimming back underneath the rocks. Adrien sighed and turned away. It was time for him to go as well.

He cleaned himself up, dressing in a tuxedo as the restaurant they were going to had a dress code. Brushing his messy hair, he tugged at a small part that hung in between his eyes. It reminded him so much of his alternate self and he frowned. _Forget_ , he insisted to himself.

As he left his room and walked down the stairs to the main area, he was genuinely surprised and pleased to see Kagami Tsurugi sitting on one of the seats, drinking a cup of tea. Tomoe sat opposite of Kagami, the bokken resting across her mother's lap. The daughter's face lit up in her own suppressed way as if trying not to give away her excitement that Adrien was here. Kagami stood up and walked towards Adrien, bowing her head in respect.

"Hello, Adrien. It's so nice to see you. Happy birthday." The Japanese girl leaned in, her mouth only inches away from his ear. "Want to get away from here after our dinner?"

Adrien stepped back, flustered, scratching the back of his neck. A crooked smile formed on his face and he shyly nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'd love that. Do you have a plan?"

"Of course. It won't be like when we had Marinette helping us, but it'll work fine. I'll see you after your meal." Kagami backed up, her voice no longer a whisper as she said her goodbyes to him.

Marinette. Why did everyone keep torturing him with her?

»»— ❅ —««

The sun hid itself below the horizon and night took over the sky. Adrien's meal with his father was much more satisfying than he had expected it to be. His father explained that as a public figure, he simply tried to prepare Adrien for the world he would be thrust into as an adult without Gabriel's protection. With a sudden change in demeanor, Gabriel said he loved Adrien and just wanted the best for him and apologized if the father's choices seemed hurtful.

After the meal, Adrien was able to escape with Kagami from the stuffy dinner meeting and they hung out on the balcony, stargazing and dancing in circles underneath the moonlight. They waltzed through the garden, the reflections of the koi pond bouncing off their skin and their eyes shining with child-like wonder and enjoyment.

To be honest, it was hard to see what Kagami was thinking. Her eyes didn't actually shine - they gleamed, the light running over her irises rather than being absorbed. The light created a film, something that prevented Adrien from truly connecting with her when they made eye contact. Not like him. His bright green eyes were open for everyone to see and Kagami could tell instantly.

"Adrien." She stopped him and they stood face-to-face underneath a Tibetan peach tree, the bare branches swaying gently around them. "What's wrong?"

He paused, trying to keep eye contact with his friend. As hard as he tried, his eyes strayed away and locked onto the girl's hair, glowing blue under the night sky. Blue. Marinette's hair was like that. Ladybug's hair. Dark as the night, her black hair would give off a blue aura during the night that surrounded her face. Her eyes were even more blue. That bright sky blue that pierced into him when he looked at her.

The disappointment was palpable from Kagami. Her eyebrows scrunched together and she held his face.

"You're still in love with someone else, aren't you?" she had said.

Now in his room, he dug his face into his pillow, body splayed out on his bed in frustration. Kagami was a nice girl - well, she was a young woman now. Why couldn't he return her feelings? Why couldn't he change targets? Why was he so locked on to Ladybug? Did he really feel free as Chat Noir or was he free with her?

Adrien stood up from his bed, wishing he could talk to Marinette for just a second to clear his mind from his lingering memories. The stars outside his window glimmered and he held his hand up to the window. If only.

If only.


End file.
